Netputing » Technology/Internet

Dell announces Moblin Mini 10v at IDF

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:43:13 +0000

Dell just announced the first shipping Moblin netbook, a developer-edition Mini 10v that runs Canonical’s Moblin Netbook Remix. No pricing info yet, but it’ll go on sale tomorrow, September 24, on Dell.com. We’re told they have units on the show floor for us to play with, we’ll be back with way more details soon.

via Dell announces Moblin Mini 10v at IDF.

UPDATE:

You can grab a copy of Moblin for the 10V from here.

Techaisle Small Business Survey Finds 50 Percent of Netbook Owners Use Push Email

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:51:21 +0000

Techaisle‘s study on ownership and use of Netbooks among businesses shows that current and potential Netbook buyers are more technologically sophisticated than non-Netbook owners and support mobility products within their businesses. These small businesses not only support and use mobile applications such as direct push email they have a defined policy for the use and support of Smartphones. Surveys were conducted across several countries in both developed and emerging markets

The study conducted by Techaisle, a market research and consulting organization focused on Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies and Interactive Entertainment also found that 46 percent of small businesses that are “Likely to Buy” Netbooks currently use push email. These small businesses are tech savvy using databases, SaaS and collaboration technologies.

As per the study, ASUS brand with 52 percent penetration is strong among small business primarily due to early entry into the market and availability through online retailers and local VARs/Resellers. Dell and HP are stronger players with higher penetration within Mid-market and Large Businesses.

Survey also finds ASUS brand is strong among small business with 52 percent penetration while Dell and HP have higher penetration within Mid-market and Large Businesses

BlackBerry Desktop Software coming to Mac – Cell Phones & Mobile Device Technology News & Updates | Geek.com

admin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:48:11 +0000

Mac owners who are also BlackBerry users can finally rejoice. According to a posting on the official BlackBerry Blog it seems the BlackBerry Desktop Software will soon be coming to a Mac near you. The expected release of the Mac version of the software is slated for September.

The software will include the ability to sync iTunes playlists, calendar, contacts, notes, and tasks in addition to giving users the ability to add or remove applications. Other features include the ability to manage multiple devices, update your device when new software becomes available, and backup and restore device data with automatically scheduled backups which include optional encryption.

The software is expected to support Mac OS 10.5.5 and above. Those wanting to know as soon as the software is available can signup at http://www.blackberry.com/mac. Currently, Mac users wanting to use their BlackBerry on their computer will need to use PocketMac for BlackBerry.

Japanese mobile porn consumption strains wireless data networks

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:43:18 +0000

The demand for mobile porn over 3G data networks has become so extreme that Japan’s top two wireless carriers, DoCoMo and KDDI, are looking to limit heavy data users in a bid to manage the load on their 3G networks.

It’s fitting that porn is forcing carriers to deal with data traffic surges. Porn was the deciding factor in the VHS vs. BetaMax format wars. Porn recently helped decide the Bluray vs HD DVD format war. Now, it seems porn is going to be the driving force behind wireless carriers’ management of unlimited data plans. “Pornography will eventually open a debate about how carriers should modify their business model as data traffic swells,” said Yusuke Tsunoda, telecommunications analyst for Tokai Tokyo Securities Co. “It may prompt even tighter access restrictions.”

As handsets become more advanced and wireless data networks get faster speeds, the mobile porn problem is only going to get worse. As it stands, some wireless subscribers have complained of slow or dropped data connections around midnight (hmm, why would that be?) on KDDI’s network. The surge in data traffic is simply too much for the Japanese carrier’s network to handle, despite the fact that Japanese wireless operators spent approximately $74 billion in infrastructure build-out costs since 2000.
Read more…

Apple To Launch $800 Netbook or Tablet In October – SoftSailor

admin — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:58:41 +0000

Apple repeatedly said that they’re not working on a netbook because they don’t know how to make something priced below $500 that’s not crap. Well, that’s partly true as the company can make a lot of stuff price higher than $500 that’s crap. Now the rumors surface again as China Times is reporting that Apple will release a netbook price at $799 in October.

The company previously said that they’re not making a netbook, but we think that they like to call it a tablet. An Apple tablet might be true as previously we’ve seen reports about a media tablet or media pad, and now it seems like Apple has ordered Foxconn, Wintek, and Dynapack to provide what they need for their tablet.

Wintek said several weeks ago that Apple ordered a lot of touchscreen panels that will be used in a tablet that should have been unveiled at the WWDC, however, the conference is now over, and there is no Apple tablet.

Google Announces Google Chrome Operating System – Mac Rumors

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:30:20 +0000

Google announced that they are getting into the Operating System business with Google Chrome Operating System. The new OS is described as their attempt to “re-think” what operating systems should be.

Google Chrome OS will be an open source, lightweight operating system that is initially targeted at netbooks.

Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We’re designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds. The user interface is minimal to stay out of your way, and most of the user experience takes place on the web. And as we did for the Google Chrome browser, we are going back to the basics and completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don’t have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work.

The new OS will run on both x86 and ARM chips. The first netbooks will begin shipping with the OS in the second half of 2010. In the long term, Google does expect that Chrome OS will work anywhere from small netbooks to full size desktop machines.

While Microsoft has the most to lose from such direct competition from Google, Apple will also be affected by Google’s move into this space. In fact, Google’s ultimate goal seems to be the same target market as Apple’s. They are specifically shooting for ease of use and accessibility:

The Web will be a central part of the new operating system, and demonstrates the importance of supplying a robust browser experience. Google’s work on the Chrome browser will carry over into the new OS.

Google Announces Google Chrome Operating System – Mac Rumors.

13-inch Apple MacBook Pro Selling Out?

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:41:31 +0000

When the new 13” MacBook Pro was announced, it didn’t take a genius to guess that it would sell well. Apparently though the little MacBook is exceeding all expectations. Some stores are having trouble keeping the notebook in stock. Gene Munster, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, notes that the faster version of the 13” MacBook is showing 7-10 day lead times.

This is a very substantial delay, and Munster says that it is the longest lead time ever for a 13” Apple notebook. In a phone survey of 10 Apple stores the analyst found that seven of them were short on at least one model of 13” notebook. He states that this shows MacBook demand is outpacing production, and that it may be several weeks before things normalize.

Some of the increased demand is likely due to Apple’s back-to-school promotional, which offers students a free iPod Touch if they buy a Mac. Summer Mac sales usually see a boost as a result of the deal, and the 13″ Pro comes in at the low end of the cost spectrum. At least for an Apple product. Hopefully we’ll see another drop in prices next year too.

Sony Vaio W netbook: 10.1-inch HD screen, N280 Atom, chiclet keyboard | Netbook Choice

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:34:38 +0000

Sony has finally released its first ‘proper’ netbook by announcing the Vaio Mini W-series. Whilst Sony has always claimed that the Vaio P was not a netbook, there’s not a chance they’ll claim the same with the Vaio W, which fits the typical netbook mould. The Sony Vaio W has a 10.1-inch high resolution (1366 x 768) LED backlit screen as standard. This is powered by a 1.66GHz N280 Atom CPU and 945GSE chipset. It comes with Windows XP, 1GB RAM and a 160GB (SATA) HDD. Other featured include Wi-Fi (including Draft-N), Bluetooth, webcam, microphone, two USB ports and MemoryStick / SD card readers. The three-cell battery should last around 160 minutes. There will be an optional 6-cell battery.

Asus confirms three Eee PC T91 SKUs: base, 3G & multitouch | Netbook Choice

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:43:02 +0000

Asus has a lot riding on its first convertible netbook, the 8.9-inch Eee PC T91. It is their first netbook to have a swivel screen that can also be used as a tablet device. We know that several different versions of the T91 are planned, including the 3G-enabled T91GO. We also know that a Windows 7 multitouch version is planned from our conversations with Asus. However, what we didn’t know were the model numbers and specification differences.

According to AsusTablet, the standard version (T91) will be followed by the 3G T91GO, which will also have GPS and a digital TV Tuner. The multitouch Windows 7 version will use the model name T91A. The Eee PC T91GO will weigh 0.06kg heavier than the standard SKU at 1.02kg, probably to account for the weight of the TV Tuner.

Medion rolls out AMD-based Akoya Mini E1312 netbook

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:36:12 +0000

The AMD-based netbook train may have been a little slow to get out of the station, but it looks like it’s finally starting to pick up a bit of steam, with Medion the latest to roll out an offering of its own. That comes in the form of the company’s new Akoya Mini E1312, which opts for a low-power AMD Sempron 210U processor and ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics instead of the usual Intel combo. Otherwise, you can expect to get a 16:9 11.6-inch display, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, HDMI out, and a six-cell or nine-cell battery. No word on a release ’round here just yet, but folks in the UK will apparently be able to pick this one up exclusively at Aldi stores starting July 12th for £339.99 (or just under $550).

Medion rolls out AMD-based Akoya Mini E1312 netbook.